Blackline

Body Piercing Material Information: Blackline

Since it's introduction to the medical device industry in the late 1980's Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) has become widely
used to deposit wear resistant, thin film coatings onto medical devices (including heart pacemakers, surgical instruments, and
orthopaedic implants).

The main value in PVD technology rests in the ability to modify the surface properties of a device without changing the underlying
materials properties and biomechanical functionality. Our jewellery uses this advanced technology as a surface enhancement on medical
grade titanium jewellery. The surface coating is tremendously adhesive to the substrate, is conformal and pinhole free, is an
excellent permeation barrier, and is sterile on preparation.

The biocompatibility of a component is an absolute pre-requisite when applied in medical device situations. The base formula for
Blackline® has been tested by an independent biological testing laboratory, and is certified biocompatible for external and internal
medical devices that come into contact with bone, skin, tissue or blood.

The unique chemical formula and process methods for Blackline® have been analysed by a series of noted technical institutions
including the Technische Universitat in Braunschweig, the Bundesanstalt fur Materialforschung in Berlin, and the Fraunhofer Institut
fur Schicht und Oberflachentechnik in Braunschweig, amongst others. Without exception, all noted scientific experts confirmed the
appropriateness of the special formula and it's specific surface treatment for body piercing jewellery.

Our Blackline® body jewellery exists in a class of it's own. The PVD layer is applied in the most advanced laboratory of it's
kind in the whole of Europe, and all pieces are microscopically examined for integrity.

Extensive sensitisation trials, involving millions of people, have taken place over a ten year period without any reported
biocompatibility problems. All Blackline® body jewellery involves the PVD coating applied to a G23 medical titanium substrate.
As there is no lattice mismatch between the plasma and the substrate, the adhesion is tremendous.

Blackline® body jewellery also possesses and extremely low coefficient of friction (plasma nitrides are now replacing PTFE in certain
situations) and a micro smoothed surface texture. Blackline® is further resistant to autoclave induced corrosion, and is compatible
with steam and chemical sterilisation treatments.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Some suppliers are "passing off" black surface coated jewellery as "Blackline". Many of these products can be seriously dangerous.
All our Blackline® involves the PVD coating on a G23 medical substrate. Cheap imports, and even some western products, have a carbon
compound layer on 316L surgical steel. Carbon on such a substrate (even 316L surgical steel) will accelerate the corrosion of the
steel. No such reaction is chemically possible with our G23 titanium. Carbon is a totally unique element, with over a million
known existing compounds. Some carbon materials suffer from a lack of permanent integrity: particles can migrate and become entrained
in blood, fibres and filaments can be shed from composites and migrate into the lymphatic system. Just because body jewellery is
black does NOT mean it is Blackline®. Our Blackline® is safe for invasive body piercing jewellery and is scientifically supported.